April 07--Patrick Kane rifled one-timer after one-timer during the Chicago Blackhawks' morning skate Tuesday at the United Center.
The winger, who has missed 18 games following surgery on his broken left collarbone suffered Feb. 24, has taken another step in the recovery process.
"He's progressing real well," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "Every day it seems like he's getting a little stronger. His skating has always been fine, he's handling the puck extremely well. It's good signs every day seeing the progress."
The initial timeline had Kane sidelined approximately 12 weeks, but every indication is that he will return sooner. The next step in the process is to take contact and once that occurs, a return will be imminent.
With the regular season winding down, the Hawks aren't likely to have any practices until April 13 in advance of the playoffs.
"Whether we're together on the ice with him with contact or not, there are ways where he can get contact without the team being on the ice," Quenneville said. "There are ways of getting him ready without everyone being around."
When asked who would be the one delivering hits on Kane to get him ready, Quenneville responded. "I think there will be a lot of volunteers."
One-timers: Center Brad Richards will miss the remaining three games of the regular season, including Tuesday night's home finale against the Minnesota Wild, with an upper-body injury. Quenneville said the veteran will be ready for the postseason. Forward Kyle Baun will make his NHL debut against the Wild and Joakim Nordstrom will return to the lineup after missing six games with an upper-body injury. ... Defenseman Kimmo Timonen will not play Tuesday with an upper-body injury. ... Daniel Carcillo remains sidelined with an upper-body injury.
